


of greed and fortune.

by kiddingway



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Heist, Leader line, Robbery, Some Humor, Some angst, They're all psychotic I'm sorry, Triplet line - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:07:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22659820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiddingway/pseuds/kiddingway
Summary: A set of triplets who like to wreak havoc stealing money from businesses and banks. Trouble ensues. Chaos walks. Money rains. It's all in good fun, anyway.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. showtime.

**Author's Note:**

> listen. im not an expert on robbing banks or anything im only using my extensive knowledge of payday 2 to get me through this, so bear with me.

_[Hyunjin]_

"I wanna dye my hair." 

"Oh?" Hyunjin piped up, her eyes still looking intently at the jewelry store they parked outside of. "What color?" 

"Purple," Yerim responded. 

"You are _not_ dying your hair purple," Hyejoo interjected. 

"Why not?" Yerim shot back. Hyunjin briefly looked up at the rearview mirror to see Hyejoo scowling while Yerim pouted in the back seat. Somewhere from above, a plane flew overhead before sirens began to go off loudly from a few streets over—Sooyoung's distraction seemed to be working. 

"Are you kidding?" Hyunjin watched as Hyejoo turned to face her completely, "Do you know how stupid that would be?"

"I think it'd look cool," Hyunjin bit back the laugh that threatened to escape when she saw the way Hyejoo snapped her head over to direct her glare to her instead. 

"No, you guys are both idiots." Huffing, Hyejoo grabbed some of Yerim's hair between her fingers for all of them to see, "If you make your hair purple, everyone would know who you are."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Yerim quipped, a grin plastered on her face as she made Hyejoo let go of her hair. "I like the attention."

"Not the _good_ kind of attention, Yerim. If any cameras catch us in the act and your bright ass purple hair is on those tapes, it's practically over. How many people actually dye their hair purple around here?"

"I know a few!" Hyunjin was lying, she didn't know anyone who had purple hair but she wanted to see how far she could push Hyejoo's buttons. 

"No, you don't!" Hyejoo's raised voice only made Hyunjin laugh, Yerim joining in as they teased the youngest of the three. "You know what? Fine, go ahead and dye your hair—"

"Really?"

"—just don't drag _me_ down with you."

Before Yerim could indulge more in the conversation, all three of their phones pinged with a message. Instantly, they fell quiet as Hyunjin pulled her phone out and opened the messaging app, a grin appearing as soon as she read the message from Jungeun. A few seconds after the message was sent, her phone service went down and the bars at the top of her screen disappeared. Sooyoung's cell phone jammer worked like a charm.

Behind her, Yerim and Hyejoo were already getting their things ready, pulling their respective bandanas over their faces, pulling their hoods up, and getting their sunglasses situated. Yerim was in charge of the bags they would need to carry the jewelry while Hyunjin would be the one to disarm the alarms—Hyejoo would watch over the hostages. They pulled straws for the responsibilities, Hyunjin was just _lucky_ enough to get stuck with all the technology she would have to deal with. 

"Showtime, ladies!" Hyunjin excited called out, following her sisters' lead and getting herself ready. 

"I hate it when you say that," Hyejoo grumbled, already holding her shotgun in her lap while she waited for Hyunjin 

" _Showtime_!" Hyunjin repeated enthusiastically, earning a laugh from Yerim and the only response from Hyejoo was the sound of her shotgun being loaded.

And with that, all three of them exited the car hastily—the streets being cleared of any civilians and giving them ample opportunity of not getting caught—as they made their way to the front of the jewelry store.

With her silenced pistol out in front of her, Hyunjin shouldered the door open and pointed it at the cashier at the back. "Hey-o!" she called out, stepping into the store and allowing her sisters to come in as well. "Don't move a fuckin' muscle 'cause I got mighty good aim, all right?" The employee—scared shitless—shot his arms straight up the moment they had walked in and jerkily nodded his head up and down, kind of defeating the purpose of her threat but as long as he was complying. 

"Same goes for you, lady," Yerim had her own submachine gun pointed at another employee who had been looking over one of the many displays around the store, her arms shooting up just the same as her coworker.

Hyejoo was already making her way to the cashier, pushing the employee down and using the zip ties they had to restrain his hands, Yerim doing the same to the other. 

"Okay." Hyunjin lowered her gun, holding out her hand to count off, "We got the two employees, Mr. Manager should be in his office..." Hyunjin trailed off as she looked around the expansive store until she locked eyes with Yerim behind their sunglasses. "Where's the security guard?"

In the back, a door swung open. Hyunjin snapped her gaze over immediately—her sisters doing the same at the interruption—when a security guard came out of a set of staff bathrooms looking down at his phone. But when he looked up and made eye contact with Hyunjin first and dropped his phone—the impact of it hitting the floor filling the silence in the building—to reach for his handgun harnessed at his waist. 

Without hesitating, Hyunjin whipped her pistol up, instantly pulling the trigger right as the security guard was raising his own. Faster than she could comprehend, a bullet was then lodged into the guard's thigh and one of the employees—the lady Yerim had restrained—cried out. He crumpled to the ground with a pained yell, dropping his gun to cradle the wound in his leg, blood beginning to stain his khakis and the marble tile below him, pooling around his body like a small pond. 

"All right! Bullseye!" Hyunjin yelled, jumping up in the air in triumph and then making her way over to the guard trying to reach for his gun, only for Hyunjin to kick it away from his reach. "No heroes today, bucko!" Then, to make sure the guard wouldn't have any more ideas—like using his radio to call in for back-up—Hyunjin reared her foot back only to slam it down onto the guard's head. The impact wasn't enough to knock him unconscious, however—the grunts and groans he emitted being proof enough—so she repeated it until he no longer flinched or twitched and simply lied limp with blood trailing down his beaten up face. 

"No zip ties?" Yerim asked, walking over to inspect the damage. 

Shrugging, Hyunjin bent down to pluck the set of keys from the guard's waistband. "Nah, I forgot to bring some."

"You coulda asked me," reaching into one of her pockets, Yerim pulled out two zip ties for the both of them to see. "I always have extras."

Hyunjin shook her head, a grin forming beneath the cover of her bandana. "There's no fun in that."

"Jesus, can you just go deal with the stupid manager already?" Hyejoo interjected impatiently, "The sooner the alarms are down, the quicker we can get out of here."

Hyunjin, undeterred by her sister's urgency, merely turned around to face her behind the counter, bringing up a gloved hand to promptly flip her off before beginning to head toward a set of doors. However, a hand grabbed at her arm before she could even take a step forward and when she turned, Yerim was pushing her around the body mumbling, "Watch the blood."

"Oh, right," Hyunjin carefully stepped around the puddle of blood increasing growing larger in diameter and twirled the keys around in her hand as she made her way through a short hallway and toward the manager's office. Whether or not the manager had heard the commotion from inside the store, Hyunjin already saw the effects of the cell phone jammer working efficiently, so even if the manager had attempted to call the police or whoever for help, the signal would have been disrupted from the get-go. 

So, deciding to play around, Hyunjin brought a hand up to rap her knuckles against the door. "Hello?" Hyunjin called out in a sing-song voice, knocking again as she spoke, "Mr. Manager, come on out. I just wanna have a little chat with you."

"I-I called the police! Th-They're on their way!" Hyunjin had to laugh. If that were the case, then they would have gotten some type of signal from Jungeun or even Haseul. So, it was quite obvious he was bluffing to try and scare them away. 

"Fine, fine," Hyunjin sighed, picking at each of the keys on the ring and trying each individual one. "Gotta do this the hard way, I guess," she mumbled until she finally got one of the keys to fit. However, when she tried to push the door open, she found that it wouldn't budge. Not even an inch. "Jesus Christ," she muttered as she tried to force her way through the door again. 

"What's the hold up?" Hyejoo called out.

"He barricaded the door!" She kicked the door in frustration.

"The p-police will be here soon!" the manager yelled from inside.

"Shut the fuck up!" Hyunjin kicked the door again, her patience wearing thin.

The manager's office held the security systems she needed to access in order to disable the alarms all over the displays of jewelry. With the alarms still up and running, the best they could get would be any money from the cash register and that's meager at best. She'd never hear the end of it from Haseul if they came back with only a few hundred in cash.

It only took a few moments for Hyejoo—without her shotgun, but Hyunjin assumed she left it with Yerim—to reappear promptly shoving Hyunjin aside with a grumbled, "Move over." Rearing her foot back, Hyejoo slammed her foot into the door with all her might a couple of times until it wedged itself open a few inches.

Quite impressed with her sister—she always forgot how strong Hyejoo could be—Hyunjin could feel the anger dissipating when she saw Hyejoo slightly panting for breath, sidling up alongside her as she elbowed her. "The brain and the brawn, huh?" 

"I'm the brain _and_ the brawn," Hyejoo dismissed quickly, "What would Yerim be anyway?"

"She's the sunshine!" 

Hyejoo shook her head and positioned her body against the door. "You both are just deranged dumb and dumber. Psychotic Thing 1 and Thing 2. I'm the only rational one around here." Before Hyunjin could retort, Hyejoo motioned for her to come closer, "Help me push it open."

"So, you're denying that Yerim is a ray of sunshine?" She holstered her gun and settled herself next to Hyejoo, both of them using all their strength to push open the blocked door and succeeding when they began to increase the gap. 

"No," Hyejoo grunted, continuing to push the door. "I'm just saying that she's a murderous ray of sunshine."

Scoffing, Hyunjin stepped away from the door, taking Hyejoo away with her as they inspected the opening in the door, "She hasn't killed anyone."

" _Yet._ And I don't doubt you might either. Accidental or purposeful, either way, you two'll find a way to kill someone."

"You're saying that as if you wouldn't either," Hyunjin quipped, unholstering her gun as she began to move toward the door again. "Yerim and I like to have fun and play around with people. You have this cold, insensitive hitman type of feeling," snickering, Hyunjin dodged a punch being thrown at her. "See? You wouldn't even hesitate to bust a cap in someone!" she exclaimed.

"Just get the alarms down." There was no doubt a scowl on her face as she skulked away, leaving Hyunjin to squeeze through the opening and finally enter the manager's office. 

Casting her head to the side, she saw that the manager had shoved his desk up to block the door. Sighing, Hyunjin tsked repeatedly as if she were some school teacher about to reprimand her student before tossing the keys up onto the desk. She turned to face the manager, his fear-stricken face completely drained of blood as he held a useless phone in his hand and sat in his office chair looking ridiculous without his desk.

"Now why'd you have to do that, huh?" Her tone was calm despite the grin she wore beneath the bandana, anger from being denied entry still bubbling within her. 

The man sputtered, incapable to even utter a single word out as she stepped closer—she could even see the sweat glistening over his balding head and dripping down his temple. 

"Yeah, okay," Hyunjin used her free hand to punch him square in the nose, hearing the crack from the broken bone and feeling the slight sting in her hand. She pushed the pain out of her mind, lightly shaking her hand as she sniffed, watching how the man had fallen off his chair and cradled his nose—his phone scattering to the ground along with him. 

Still not quite satisfied with herself, Hyunjin violently kicked her foot forward toward the man's stomach, watching him recoiled and groan in pain from the impact but wanting to release her frustrations out by delivering a few more. He curled up into a ball, one arm wrapped tight around his midriff while the other was still around his bleeding nose. She then adjusted her glasses nonchalantly before she pointed the pistol down at the man's head. He immediately took notice as he brought both his arms up and began to finally speak, "N-No! Please, wait!" Without the cover of his hands, Hyunjin could see the blood gushing out of his nose, the crooked bend of its shape from where she had punched him, and the whites of his eyes as they were blown wide with fear. 

Seeing him like that sent a thrill through Hyunjin. 

Instead, she moved the pistol down to his knee, swiftly pulling the trigger and watching with glee as the man jolted from the shot and yelled in agonizing pain. More blood began to pool around his legs and Hyunjin couldn't help but feel satisfied from the sight. 

"All right, back to business," Hyunjin holstered her weapon, clapping her hands together as she promptly stepped over the man writhing in pain—being sure to avoid stepping in any blood.

Behind his office chair was a larger, much more complex desk with file cabinets, drawers, two computer monitors, some control panels, and plenty of other things that held no importance to her. All she was focused on were the computers and the panels lying before her. If it weren't for Jungeun embedding instructions into her mind, she wouldn't have a single idea what to do. It was a blessing Jungeun was so thorough. 

It wasn't as complicated as she had thought it was; some buttons pressed, some programming rearranged, some codes recited from memory and typed into a passcode was all she needed to do. The store wasn't that well off to begin with, especially if its security meant only one security guard and easily accessible information. "Man, if managing a jewelry store meant lounging around in your own private office doing jackshit, I would've tried it out a long time ago," Hyunjin commented, turning on her heel to see the man whimpering and crying out in pain with every subtle movement. "Too bad this is way more fun."

Hyunjin began to walk toward the door, but before she reached it, she swiftly turned around to watch the man writhe around on the ground a little more, his forehead pressed down against the tile floor as his hands shook tremendously around his leg. Tilting her head to the side, she then pressed her shoe against the gunshot wound on the man's knee. She grinned as the man contorted and attempted to push her foot off, only prompting her to put more force into her step as his agonized screams fell on deaf ears. 

After a few moments of satisfaction, Hyunjin finally stepped away, slipping through the gap in the door and leaving the man in a crumpled heap on the floor to meet up with her sisters inside the store. She passed the security guard, who was still passed out on the floor. "We're set!" she called out to her sisters, noticing how they had gathered the two employees behind the counter together. 

"What'd you do to him?" Yerim piped up from where she was inspecting some of the jewelry. 

"I shot him."

"For what?" 

"Breathing."

Hyejoo, seemingly coming from the other side of the store, suddenly grabbed the collar of Hyunjin's shirt and forcibly turned Hyunjin around to face the hallway she had just come out of. "What the fuck?" Startled, Hyunjin grabbed her hand to try and pry it off of her, but Hyejoo's grip was tight around her collar.

"What the hell is that?" Before Hyunjin could even ask why she was so pressed, Hyejoo pointed down toward the floor where one set of bloody footprints—not very prominent and only the top half of the shoe's pattern showing but still recognizable—led away from the manager's office before fading away when she stepped into the shop area. "How many times have we told you _not_ to step in the blood? It's simple!"

Hyunjin, annoyed that her sister was practically yelling in her ear and holding onto her collar, shoved Hyejoo away before fixing her shirt. "Relax! It's not like they're gonna figure out my identity with half of my shoeprint. And I _didn't_ step on blood." Hyunjin scoffed and turned around so that her back was facing Hyejoo, "I just stepped on the manager's leg where I shot him. It doesn't matter anyway."

"It _does_ matter," Hyejoo gritted out, but Hyunjin didn't turn around, she was already looking at a set of expensive necklaces to take. "Police nowadays can track _anything_. And now you've shot not one, but two people, so good luck explaining that to Sooyoung," she lowered her voice when mentioning Sooyoung, probably so the employees wouldn't hear and mention her name to the police when they would eventually talk to them. 

"She won't care, she has an entire fucking arsenal of weapons so she won't mind giving me a new gun and tossing out this one."

From the other side of the room, glass shattered and fell to the floor. Both Hyunjin and Hyejoo snapped their attention over to Yerim who stood before a display now destroyed into tiny pieces with her arms outstretched. " _Congrats_ , you didn't mess up with the security. Now, as much as I'd love to see you guys duke it out, we need to get going." 

Neither of them could argue when Yerim threw a bag in both their directions before she began to grab some of the jewelry from the now broke display. 

"I'm going to clean up _your_ mess," Hyejoo mumbled. 

"I can do it myself," Hyunjin shot back, already moving toward the first set of footprints but a hand on her shoulder stopped her from advancing. 

"Just let me do it, all right? You might mess something up." While the last comment was barely audible, Hyunjin was still able to pick it up. But she couldn't do much when Hyejoo had already disappeared into the staff bathroom.

The comments from both of them were enough to strike a chord in her, both her sisters seemed to always remind her of her past mistakes, but she knew they had bigger priorities than to start petty arguments with either of them. So, switching her hold on the handle of her pistol to grab the barrel of it, Hyunjin turned back to the display she had been looking at earlier and raised her arm up only to forcibly bring it down onto the glass. It shattered upon impact and she didn't hesitate to reach into the mess to grab the jewelry and begin to dump them into the bag. 

Yerim and Hyunjin went around the store repeating the process with each display in relative silence, Hyunjin's mood was enough to render her silent and diligent while working and it seemed like Yerim was aware that Hyunjin just needed to cool down before she would be back to her normal self. They got around half the store before they sort of met up in the middle. 

"You think Haseul will let us keep some of this stuff?" Yerim asked quietly after smashing a display and holding up a bracelet embedded with purple gems and some silver stars around it. 

Hyunjin scoffed because she couldn't imagine Haseul even considering it. "Nah," she shook her head. "If anything, she'll give you the money she earned from selling it all and tell you to get your own somewhere else."

She tossed a rather expensive necklace into the bag when Yerim spoke again, "That's no fair." Hyunjin could practically feel the pout radiating off Yerim, "I like some of the stuff here. What if I can't find it anywhere else?"

In spite of herself, Hyunjin couldn't help the smile that overcame her face when she heard Yerim complain. "I'm sure there are others just like the ones you want. Maybe even better ones."

"Still." Glass shattered and they continued on, Hyejoo joined halfway, using the butt of her shotgun to break the glass and dumped the jewelry into her bag. Again, they worked in relative silence until every single necklace, bracelet, ring, earring, practically everything in the store was taken and stored in their respective bags. 

"Did either of you get the cash from the register?" Hyunjin asked as she secured the last of the jewelry into the bag, turning toward her sisters who were also finishing up their little sections around the shop. 

"I already got it!" Yerim called out as she bounded over to Hyunjin with Hyejoo close behind. 

Hyunjin grinned at the feeling of completion and satisfaction taking hold as she took one last look at the store, admiring all the broken displays, the security guard passed out near the back, and the employees out of sight and restrained behind the counter. It was like something out of an action movie—a setting a Hollywood directing would use. 

"Easy job, easy life," behind her, Hyejoo scoffed and moved to leave the store, Yerim already following, and then Hyunjin right after as she slung the bag over her shoulder. 

Despite the empty streets, her sisters hurried over to the car in the parking lot not wanting to risk being seen. But while Yerim and Hyejoo went up ahead right as they left the store, Hyunjin stopped when she saw a figure out the corner of her eyes. Turning to her left—right at the corner of the store where the sidewalk curved—was a little boy, probably not much older than ten or eleven, staring at her with his jaw slacked and a yellow balloon tied by a string held in his hand. 

The two of them stared at each other, unmoving, looking as if the entire world had frozen in place. 

"Hey!" Both of them turned to see Hyejoo standing with the car door open, beckoning for Hyunjin to come over. "Come on!"

Snapped out of her reverie, Hyunjin stepped toward the boy—holstering her pistol hastily—and then placed her hand right on his face to shove him toward the ground before bending down to yank the balloon out of his hand. The boy let out a quiet grunt when he fell to the ground, staring dumbfounded up at Hyunjin when she paused to inspect the balloon.

She then turned to the boy, pointed her finger down at him as if she were a reprimanding parent, and said, "Stay in school, kid," before she spun on her heel and sauntered over to the car. She tossed the bag into the open trunk, briefly glancing over at the boy still on the ground and watching her until she closed the trunk and went over to the driver's seat. She took off her bandana and placed it on the empty passenger's seat and let the balloon float in the empty space.

Yerim and Hyejoo were already situated in the back but Yerim was giggling as she pulled down her bandana and, when Hyunjin peered through the rearview mirror, saw that Yerim was looking out the window as they drove away. "Did you really push that little boy down?" she asked. " _And_ steal his balloon?"

Turning the steering wheel, Hyunjin shrugged, "I like balloons."

Yerim laughed again, settling back into the seat as Hyejoo began taking off her bandana and put her hood down. They all kept their sunglasses on, keeping at least a semblance of anonymity still until they were completely in the clear. 

"You know what?" Hyunjin spoke up, breaking the brief silence in the car as they began to reach city limits, "I think I wanna dye my hair red."

"Ooh!"

"Oh, my god."

Two completely different reactions, but it was enough for Hyunjin to release an airy laugh as she began turning into the parking garage they were told to go to. "I think I'd rock it, don't you think?"

"Yeah!"

"The only thing you'd do if you dyed your hair red is increase the likelihood of getting caught," Hyejoo retorted, ever the rational one. "What's the deal with you two wanting to suddenly change your hair color anyway?"

"It'd just look cool!" Yerim replied excitedly, and when Hyunjin briefly glanced through the rearview mirror she saw the way Yerim nudged Hyejoo with her elbow. "I bet you wouldn't look too bad with, like, blue hair or some—ow! You punched me! Why'd you do that?" 

"I'm not dying my hair."

"Well, you didn't have to punch me!"

* * *

[twitter](https://twitter.com/Kiiddway)

[cc](curiouscat.me/Kiiddway)


	2. like robin hood.

_[Yerim]_

"How'd it g—where'd you get a balloon?" Jungeun asked baffled, watching as the three of them distributed each of their bags to Haseul who took them with a mischievous grin on her face. But her gaze was solely focused on Hyunjin who had brought the yellow balloon from the car to the office, letting it go and watching it float up until it hit the ceiling, bouncing around harmlessly before it settled and stilled.

"A kid gave it to me," she responded nonchalantly as she began to hand the bag to Haseul. 

"It went great!" Yerim cheered, bounding back around the table to sit at her respective chair. 

"Hyunjin stole that balloon from a kid and shot two people," Hyejoo quickly added, dropping her bag on the table and sitting next to Yerim as Jungeun sighed. Yerim laughed as she watched her bring a hand up to exasperatedly rub her eyes. 

"What—you fucking snitch!" Hyunjin yelled, dropping the bag—Haseul just barely caught it before it hit the ground, a sigh of relief escaping her when it didn't hit the ground—and rounding the table to get to Hyejoo. But just as quick as she had sat down, Hyejoo sprung back up to run to the other side, successfully creating a barrier between the two of them so that Hyunjin couldn't get to her. 

"Maybe if you just did things right!" Hyunjin made a mad dash around the table, but Hyejoo did as well, effectively keeping the distance between them at large. 

When Yerim turned to the other two, she grinned when she saw the way Jungeun slumped over the table with her head in her hands and Haseul had paused all progress she made to watch the two sisters chase each other. 

"So," she successfully gained the attention of the two older women, simply ignoring her sisters as they continued to run around the small confines of the rented office space and insulting each other. "Where's Sooyoung?"

"On her way," Haseul responded distractedly, her hands noticeably tightening around the bag when Hyejoo ran past her. 

When Hyunjin accidentally bumped into Jungeun trying to desperately reach over the table, Jungeun finally snapped and grabbed hold of the back of Hyunjin's shirt, yanking her away from the table. "All right! _Enough!_ " Yerim laughed as Jungeun got up—still holding onto Hyunjin's shirt—and forcefully sat her down in the chair next to Yerim. She then turned to Hyejoo, who was standing on the other side of the table, and pointed a finger toward her, and then to the other seat next to Yerim. When Hyejoo refused with a curt shake of her head, Jungeun hardened her gaze and pointed down at the chair again before practically growling out, " _Now_."

Yerim saw the way Hyejoo glared at Hyunjin, her older sibling sticking her tongue out childishly as she crossed her arms over her chest and began to sulk in her seat. "I shot one of them 'cause I _had_ to," Hyunjin grumbled, to which Yerim felt obligated to pat her shoulder. 

"And what about the other one?" Hyejoo teasingly shot back, leaning over the table to look at Hyunjin over Yerim.

It was always entertaining when she got to just sit back and watch her two sisters go at it. It was like free TV and it would be ten times better if she had some popcorn to accompany it. 

"He had it coming!" 

"For what? Gettin' you mad?"

"Well—yeah!"

Yerim leaned back in her chair, switching back and forth from each sister, occasionally looking over to see Jungeun defeatedly resting her forehead against the table while Haseul began to lay out the jewelry from the bags, a clipboard momentarily lying untouched on the table next to them. Just the way the gold and silver and all the other pretty colors glinted under the fluorescent lights had Yerim captivated in an instant. Her fingers itched to take some for the sake of simply admiring them. 

She knew she should have kept at least one of the necklaces she saw earlier. Haseul couldn't possibly have noticed one of them missing. 

"Oh, yeah?" Hyejoo laughed mockingly, suddenly leaning closer to Yerim to face Hyunjin more. "What about the blood you were tracking?"

Jungeun's head shot up so fast that Yerim was surprised she didn't get whiplash. "You stepped in blood?"

"Jesus!" Hyunjin exclaimed, throwing her arms up exasperatedly before she turned to every single one of them in frantic, quick movements. "Stepping in someone's blood isn't that big of a deal!"

"How many times have we told you that they can track—"

"—anything nowadays," Hyunjin cut Jungeun off as she sunk back into her chair, her body slinking downward so she could slouch. "I know. I know. We cleaned it up anyway." Were she to jut her lower lip out, then she would really look like a skulking child. 

" _I_ cleaned it up," Hyejoo clarified, only making Hyunjin grumble in response rather than firing back with something.

As much as she liked seeing her sister getting teased, she wasn't so fond of her getting reprimanded so much to the point it brought her mood down. Yerim felt the twinge—the only ever time she'd feel sympathy was for her sisters, and her sisters only—in her chest at seeing Hyunjin looked so dejected.

Leaning down to place her hand on Hyunjin's shoulder and lowering her voice so only she could hear, "For what it's worth, it was really awesome watching you take the security guard down."

Despite Hyunjin shrugging her hand off, Yerim spotted the poor attempt at hiding her smile. "Shut up," Hyunjin mumbled, leaning away from her but Yerim knew Hyunjin loved the praise, especially after no one seemed to be giving her the time of day.

"You guys actually got everything," Haseul piped up, effectively directing the attention away from Hyunjin as she looked down at everything she had laid out. "Good job," She grinned as she began arranging everything into little piles—all bracelets in one spot, the necklaces in another, so on and so on—marking off a couple of things occasionally on the clipboard. It was quite entertaining to watch.

"Hey, Haseul?" Yerim called out, leaning forward on the table with her eyes glued to the same particular bracelet that had caught her eye earlier in the store. She heard Haseul hum, so she continued her thought, "You think you can spare maybe just one bracelet?" Her fingers drummed on the table, itching for something to take. 

But Haseul only huffed an airy laugh, continuing her work without a second thought. "In your dreams, kid. Just buy something when I get you the money."

Yerim pouted because it was just like what Hyunjin had said. "But it's only _one_ bracelet, c'mon. Surely whoever you're selling to won't notice one of them missing?"

Still, though, Haseul wasn't budging. "Oh, she definitely will."

And that was that because the doors on the other side of the room burst open, and when everyone's heads—except Haseul's, who was still diligently working away—turned to see Sooyoung walk in with a cup carrier full of different caffeinated beverages. 

"Ew," Hyejoo deadpanned turned back around, her face feigning disinterest. "The hag's here."

"Oh, shut up," Sooyoung grumbled, placing the carriers on the table carelessly as she lumbered over to sit next to Jungeun.

Yerim reached over the table for the drinks, already wanting to feel the caffeine rush she always got when she drank it. 

"Why'd you go get them?" she heard Hyunjin call out, turning to watch her sister who completely ignored the drinks unlike everyone else reaching for them. "I always go get them!"

It wasn't like it was that big of a deal, or at least, Yerim didn't think so. 

"You're just upset you didn't get to see your cute little barista," Hyejoo snickered and Yerim couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of her. Anyone could see Hyunjin was smitten for the barista that worked at the cafe a couple of blocks away. 

But Hyunjin continued to try and deny it each and every time her crush was mentioned. "No!" She turned quickly to Hyejoo, pointing a glare at her before she turned to Sooyoung who looked completely drained with bags under her eyes and a crease between her eyebrows. "I'm just—I'm always the one who gets the coffee and it's important to keep up the tradition." 

Before Hyejoo could shoot back with another quip, Sooyoung butted in, "It was on the way, calm down." She rubbed tiredly at her eyes and cut off Hyunjin before she could retort, "You can just go next time, relax." 

"Hyunjin shot two people," Hyejoo brought up quickly, Hyunjin immediately snapping her head over to her sister and feigning a look of betrayal. 

"Oh, c'mon," Sooyoung groaned, massaging her temples as if she had an oncoming headache. 

"What the fuck? Why don't you tell the whole world everything I did today! Broadcast it on the news why don't you!" Hyunjin was quick to shoot back toward her sister, irriation evident in her tone alone.

"Both of you," Sooyoung cut in before the two of them could begin arguing again, "shut the fuck up. I'll deal with it later."

There was something up with Sooyoung, Yerim could feel it. Plus, it wasn't that hard to identify; usually Sooyoung's much more energetic and lively after a successful heist, but as Yerim looked closer, she could see the streaks of soot over her arms and even some on her cheeks. There were minor, tiny cuts around her arms, too, and her hair seemed a bit frizzy and unkempt. 

It was a little comical to Yerim, after all, Sooyoung always carried herself so confidently. This was just a complete one-eighty. "What's up with you?" Yerim pondered, taking a sip from her coffee, only to recoil immediately when the hot liquid burned her tongue. 

Sooyoung only scowled before rubbing her eyes tiredly. "The stupid firecrackers went off way too quickly and I had to deal with the fucking police asking me all these stupid fucking questions," she fired off in a single breath, ending with an exasperated huff as she drank her coffee. "I had to tell 'em that I was just walking by when it happened."

Beside her, Hyejoo was struggling to hold back her giggles, Yerim finding the situation just as humorous imagining Sooyoung having trouble with the firecrackers she had with her to create the diversion. In the end, Yerim thought, it all worked out. Sooyoung may not have gotten out of it too well, but she didn't get caught. 

"All right, all right," Jungeun cut in, ever the one to get things back on track. "Onto business."

Yerim idly listened to Jungeun's new proposition, sometimes blanking out, sometimes paying attention. She got the overall gist of what they would be doing next, even if Jungeun clarified that it wasn't set in stone yet. But this new job seemed easier than the last and Yerim couldn't help but find herself bored at the prospect; robbing some convenience store somewhere in the middle of the city didn't seem like it would bring in a lot of cash. But Yerim and her sisters didn't interrupt, knowing how irritated Jungeun would get if any of them even attempted to speak up while she was discussing a plan. 

"I've got word that there's this big safe hidden in the floorboards." Yerim tuned into the conversation again, after discreetly playing—and _winning_ —rock, paper, scissors with Hyejoo under the table. "I don't know where it's located and I haven't gotten the layout of the store yet, but if this mole is true to his word, we could get a lot more than expected if things fly smoothly." Yerim saw the way Jungeun suddenly directed a glare toward the three of them, but specifically more towards Hyunjin who was too distracted tracing abstract figures on top of the lid of her coffee with her finger.

"Is this _mole_ reliable for the info?" Haseul interjected as she held up a particularly pretty diamond-studded necklace up toward the light. Haseul was basically the only one able to get away with interrupting Jungeun without any repercussions, Yerim couldn't really understand why.

"He seems to be so far," Jungeun shrugged, reaching out to take a sip from her coffee. "He talks a lot—like, _a lot._ " Jungeun shook her head with a scowl. "Doesn't know how to shut up sometimes," she added with a quiet grumble. 

"How long 'til you know?" This time, it was Sooyoung who spoke up, still slumped tiredly over the table with her head in her hands.

"Not long, I think. The guy's clingy, lonely, in desperate need of attention. It shouldn't be too hard gettin' more stuff from him."

Yerim will never understand how Jungeun found these types of people. She has connections, Yerim knew that, but how Jungeun managed to find everyday employees or sometimes even the managers of some establishments continued to baffle her. But there was no point asking questions, she was only supposed to do the dirty work and acquire the money. 

"We're doing this at night—" All three of them groaned in unison, never enjoying such operations where they had to do everything quickly, stealthily, and quietly. Jungeun glared at them, her fingers tightening around her cup. " _Because_ it's a safer and better option."

"The safer option's never the funnest one," Hyunjin whined, slouching back in her chair. 

"Yeah!" Yerim piped in, directing Jungeun's resentful gaze from Hyunjin to her in an instant, but Yerim continued, "I bet we can do it during the day! We did the jewelry store this _morning_!"

"All we've been doing is robbing from these small stores, and, yeah, it gets us money but come on," Hyejoo jumped in as well, following her sisters like some sort of assembly line. "We can hit bigger and better ones."

"Can't we rob a bank?" Yerim suggested right before Jungeun could interject. 

"Or a car dealership!" Hyunjin suddenly sat up abruptly, the new idea sparking energy into her—or maybe it was the coffee she had been drinking. The caffeine was certainly settling within Yerim, she was feeling energized with each passing second. 

"You wanna steal cars?" Yerim asked, turning to her sister excitedly. 

"That actually does sound cool," Hyejoo added. "How 'bout robbing from some mansion, y'know? Steal from the rich and give to the poor—like Robin Hood."

"You wanna give our money _away_?" 

"No, Hyun, _we're_ the poor. Figuratively speaking."

"Ohh!" Hyunjin nodded, a grin easily appearing at the prospect. "And steal _their_ cars!" 

"Well, yeah, that too, I guess—what's your sudden obsession with cars?" 

"I wanna drive a super fast fancy car!" 

"Ooh! Me too! Me too!" Yerim joined in. 

All three of them were huddled together now, speaking over each other excitedly with new ideas and plans. Visions and imaginary situations they could only dream of. But it all stopped when Jungeun put her foot down. 

"We're not doing _any_ of that stuff!" Jungeun snapped, effectively any and all conversation the triplets were having with each other. When all three of them turned to look at her, Jungeun cleared her throat and took a long sip of her coffee. The brief silence was enough for all of them to settle down before she began speaking again, "As of right now, we are getting this convenience store and we're gonna break into that safe, okay?"

None of them nodded or made any notion or sound of acknowledgment, all of them visibly deflated at their visions crushed under Jungeun's heel. 

"We've barely been doing this for a year," Haseul stepped in, having halted her progress of the jewelry to mediate the situation. "Let's focus on the small and easy stuff for now, and then— _maybe_ —we can move onto bigger and more exciting things, okay?"

They all grumbled in response, settling back down quietly. Yerim always found it hard to get on Haseul's bad side, hardly ever wanting to anyway. It was always the most fun picking on Jungeun because she would get irritated and loud while Sooyoung would get the most annoyed and fire back with some witty remarks. Haseul, on the other hand, had always been the mediator; she always looked after Yerim and her sisters, especially during the early years when all three of them were struggling to get by. 

All three of them had a certain soft spot for Haseul—for the other two as well, but with Haseul it was more of the motherly figure that they were all missing. She stepped in, gave them all solace, and a chance to build up back up again. 

Hyunjin admired Haseul the most out of all three of them, Yerim knew that. She doesn't show it often—at all if that—and Hyejoo warmed up to Sooyoung fairly quick even if they stepped on each other's toes constantly. And despite Jungeun's rigidness, Yerim loved digging into the softer core she knew Jungeun seldom showed.

The triplets were thankful for the three women ganging them together—they always would be—but that never stopped them from wanting to dream big and branch out. 

Hyunjin took the initiative, "Okay, okay. We'll do the store." She turned toward Yerim and Hyejoo, the both of them nodding in agreement, but Yerim had seen the look in her eyes. Hyunjin had an idea and Yerim felt giddy just from the feeling. When she looked back at Hyejoo she saw the smirk lifting her lips and the exact same look mirrored in her eyes. 

Yerim could hardly sit still—whether it was from the coffee or the subtle looks and signals from her sisters—she was anticipating whatever Hyunjin had in store. 

"Thank you," Jungeun sighed out, rubbing her eyes tiredly before looking over at Sooyoung who looked like she was asleep. Yerim grinned, the nearly overwhelming urge to disturb what little peace Sooyoung had around her. "It's gonna be an easy job, guys," she persisted, completely overlooking Yerim's mischievious look. "It'll be easy."

"Yeah," Hyunjin flicked her empty cup, making it teeter and totter around on the table before balancing again. "Maybe _too_ easy, but whatever. We done here?" Hyunjin then stood up, Yerim and Hyejoo following, all of them understanding that their little meeting was wrapping up. 

"Yeah, yeah." Jungeun waved her hand dismissively. "You guys are free to go."

"I'll have the money back to you guys by tomorrow," Haseul added, continuing to write down on the clipboard as the triplets began to walk behind the other three. 

"Sending Yeojin to deliver?" Yerim asked, making her way over to Haseul's side. 

"Hm, maybe," Haseul replied distractedly. "I don't want her holding that much money out in public. 'Specially in the city."

"Fair, fair." Their home wasn't exactly the safest in town, they've all seen their fair share of muggings and violence—sometimes caused by the three of them.

Hyejoo had picked up Sooyoung's long forgotten coffee, slowly and cautiously beginning to position the cup on top of Sooyoung's head that had been resting over her arm on the table. Jungeun watched wearily from the side, edging her chair back to avoid anything that might come her way. "Hyejoo—"

"Shh, I just wanna see what happens," she cut off Jungeun with a whisper, being careful to not wake Sooyoung up. 

Without another word, Jungeun began to watch the scene unfold, Hyunjin standing beside Jungeun and tuning in as well. Yerim, however, still had her eyes set on the bracelet that had piqued her interest earlier. She waited for her moment though, knowing what Hyejoo was up to and knowing she had a split second to act before take what she thought was rightfully hers. 

So when Hyejoo finally perched the coffee cup perfectly on top of Sooyoung's head, Yerim kept her hands under the table, leaning over it to act as if she were interested in her sister's antics. But when Hyejoo clapped her hands together, centimeters away from Sooyoung's ears, she instinctively jerked up, knocking the coffee off of her and spilling it to the ground—Hyejoo leaping away to avoid getting hit by the projectile and cackling at Sooyoung's startled expression. Haseul had also instinctively looked over at the commotion—her pen paused and hovering over her checklist—which gave Yerim the opening she needed to snap her hand forward and pluck the bracelet from the pile. 

"Hyejoo!" Sooyoung exclaimed, lunging forward to try and grab at her but Hyejoo merely sidestepped the advance, continuing to laugh. "You fuckin' little—" she didn't finish her insult because she bent down to pick up the cup and launched it toward Hyejoo. It missed, but it was enough for Hyejoo to duck away with a screech and run out the door leading to the elevators. 

Hyunjin had also been laughing, Jungeun struggling to hide her own amusement, but signaled for Yerim to follow their sister out so they could leave. "See ya' losers later." 

"Tell your sister she's dead the next time I see her!" Sooyoung threatened, but it fell on deaf ears as Hyunjin simply marched out the doors and Yerim followed close behind with a skip in her step, giggling and feeling excited at the bracelet she held hidden in her sleeve. 

"Yerim." Her elatedess quickly plummeted at Haseul's voice, her tone impassive and calm. Yerim froze at the door, watching as Hyunjin continued down the hallway and joined up with Hyejoo, both of them waiting for the elevator to arrive. "Give it back." 

Yerim threw her head back and groaned, frustrated at the thought of being caught and being forced to give the bracelet back. Dejectedly, she turned around and dragged her feet back over to Haseul as if she were some child taking the walk of shame. Sooyoung and Jungeun had begun arguing about the mess now splattered all over the ground, going back and forth over who should clean it up. Yerim blocked them out as she dropped the bracelet back onto the pile before turning back around and trudging over to the door.

When she left the office space and walked through the hallway, Yerim barely made it before the elevators began to close, giving her sisters each a look when it seemed like they weren't going to hold the doors open for her—it wouldn't have been the first time. 

"So," Hyunjin began, leaning against the back of the elevator and looking to each of them before a sly smirk began to form on her face. "What do you guys think about doing our own thing?" 

Yerim turned toward Hyejoo briefly, gears grinding in her mind as she thought about the proposition. The grin came easily to her face when she turned back to Hyunjin, "Whatcha got in mind, Hyun?"

"Another jewelry store?" Hyejoo asked.

"A bank?" Yerim added.

"A car dealership?" Hyejoo crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows rising but then furrowed when Hyunjin shook her head. 

However, before Hyunjin answered, the elevator dinged signaling they had arrived at their level. Without a word, Hyunjin walked past the both of them—Hyejoo casting a confused look toward Yerim who only shrugged in response before they followed their sister. 

"Then what?" Yerim pondered as they made their way toward their car—a different one from the car they had used earlier for the jewelry store; that one had been a rental. 

"I wanna be like Robin Hood." 

Hyunjin opened the driver's side and got in, Yerim climbed into the passenger's side and Hyejoo made herself comfortable in the back, but leaned forward to fit in the space between Hyunjin and Yerim. 

"Robin Hood?" Grinning, Hyejoo drummed her finger's against the driver's seat as Hyunjin started the car. 

"Let's break into a fuckin' mansion."

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you see parallels from baby driver, mind yo business, i only have so much knowledge of being a criminal.


	3. no place like home.

_[Hyejoo]_

"Oh, to be home!" Hyunjin ceremoniously cheered, throwing her hands up once she kicked the door open and entered their apartment. "There's no place like home!"

And Yerim's right behind her, cheering just as loud despite the many noise complaints they've received from the amount of time they've lived there—Hyejoo right along with their neighbors, often having to put on some earbuds and blast the volume just to be able to drown out her sisters' constant noise. 

"I'm hungry," Hyejoo commented, going over to the couch immediately and falling back on it, letting herself lie with her legs dangling off the armrest as she heard Hyunjin hum. "Pizza?"

Both of her sisters voiced their agreement, and after a few moments of silence, Hyunjin's voice filled the living room even as she moved toward the kitchen to order pizza for the three of them. 

Hyejoo simply stared at the ceiling, cracked and dirty that was soon obstructed when Yerim came over and looked down at her. "What?" Hyejoo grunted, glaring at her sister before moving an arm to cover her eyes.

"You think we can really rob a mansion?" she asked, lifting up Hyejoo's legs before promptly sitting next to the armrest and then setting Hyejoo's legs back down onto her lap. 

"I don't know." The thought of breaking into a mansion was extremely appealing, Hyejoo couldn't deny that, but it was just that; a thought. And if they were really following Hyunijn's vague plan blindly, well then the odds might not be in their favor. Hyejoo shook her head and commented, "Probably not, actually. Mansions are a big ass change from small stores no one gives a shit about. I'm sure Jungeun will eventually find something more exciting for us to do."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Plus, how are we gonna do it without, y' know, Jungeun's help, right? Or Sooyoung's stuff? Or even knowing what to steal without Haseul telling us what's valuable?" The more she thought about their made-up dream, the more unrealistic it seemed to be able to accomplish. The three of them, as much as Hyejoo hated to admit it, were the ones who did most of the dirty work. They had the most risk of getting caught and thrown in the slammer. 

They weren't kids running around doing what they pleased anymore. They weren't going around wreaking havoc for fun anymore. They were doing legit stuff that could land them in jail for life. 

Hyejoo shook her head, rubbing her eyes tiredly as the day began to catch up with her. 

"Okay!" Hyunjin called from the kitchen, and when Hyejoo lifted her hands from her face, she saw her sister round the counter and make her way over to them. "Pizza is ordered! Now let's get down to business. Move."

Grumbling, Hyejoo lifted herself on her arms, just enough for Hyunjin to slip by and sit back on the couch. Falling back, Hyejoo's head landed in Hyunjin's lap and she threw her arm back over her eyes. "What business?" she mumbled under the cover of her arm. 

And then Hyunjin grabbed hold of her shoulders, shaking her back and forth in her lap like she was some sort of toy. "The mansion! We gotta rob a mansion!"

"Jesus, stop, Hyun!" Hyejoo, in her desperate attempt to stop the earthquake simulation Hyunjin was putting her through, forcibly removed Hyunjin's hands off of her and sat up. She positioned herself away from Hyunjin and closer to Yerim, creating enough space between them to keep Hyunjin from doing anything like that again. "What's your deal?"

"You don't seem excited to rob a mansion! That's my deal." Hyunjin gestured toward her with her hand before dropping it down to her lap. 

But maybe Hyejoo was feeling irritated and tired and maybe all she would like is to eat pizza and take a nap. "We can't rob a mansion," she deadpanned, trying to knock some sense into Hyunjin. 

"Sure we can!" Hyunjin then turned her attention to Yerim behind Hyejoo who had been quiet up to that point. "Right, Yerim?" 

Hyejoo knew what she was doing though, so she turned to Yerim with her eyebrows raised, hoping to convey the message that Hyunjin's plan was too unreal to be executed. 

Her triplet-telepathy seemed to work as Yerim pursed her lips and shrugged, shaking her head gently as she said, "I dunno, Hyun."

"What?" Hyunjin exclaimed, straightening herself up as she faced both her sisters with a look of betrayal. "What do you mean—you guys don't want to rob a mansion?" 

And maybe— _just maybe_ —Hyejoo felt a smidge of regret for making her sister look so hurt by their opinions, but it didn't eliminate the fact that this plan seemed too much even for them. 

"It's not that, Hyunjin," Hyejoo sighed, dropping her gaze from Hyunjin's because she really couldn't deal with those puppy-eyes at the moment. "It's just—how are we gonna do it without the help from the other three? Y' know? Because if we tell them, they won't let us do it, but if we don't tell them then how the hell are we even gonna be able to do it?"

"We'll figure that out!" Hyejoo felt Yerim shift behind her as Hyunjin continued, "C'mon, guys. We have to try it at least."

"What are we gonna do then?" Yerim spoke up, but Hyejoo couldn't tell if she sounded excited or skeptical. Maybe she was just curious. 

"Well, we're gonna take their stuff, duh. Any, like, jewelry or cash or paintings—"

"Paintings?" She had to interject, there was absolutely no way she was going to be caught sneaking out of a house with a framed painting in her hands. 

"Yeah!" When Hyejoo looked up, she saw how her sister had crossed her legs and faced the two of them on the other side of the couch. "Rich people always have expensive ass paintings. We might even find the- the Mona Lisa in one of them if we're lucky!"

Yerim laughed and Hyejoo could only huff out a breath in shock because there was no way— _there was absolutely no way_ —her sister thought the Mona Lisa was just sitting in some random rich person's house. There was no way. 

"Please tell me you're joking, Hyun." Hyejoo rubbed her eyes exasperatedly.

"About stealing paintings? No? They can sell for a lot if we find the right—" 

"No, no." Hyejoo refused to look at her sister, simply shielding her eyes with her hand as she reiterated. "You were joking about the Mona Lisa, right?"

"I know where the _actual_ Mona Lisa is!" Hyunjin retorted quickly, her eyes narrowing but Hyejoo didn't believe it. 

"Where is it then?"

"Look, it doesn't matter!" Hyunjin hastily derailed them from the subject, only proving to Hyejoo that Hyunjin had absolutely no idea where the famous painting was held. "What matters is figuring this all out."

"Yeah, but _how_?" Yerim asked, stealing the words right out of Hyejoo's mouth. 

"And who are we even gonna be goin' for, huh? 'Cause, I dunno 'bout you but—" Hyejoo trailed off for a moment, allowing a yawn to interrupt her before she continued. "I don't know anyone close enough that lives in a mansion. Do you, Yerim?" she asked her sister, to which she only shook her head. 

"Oh, but _I_ do." Hyunjin grinned all mischievous and sly as if knowing she knew something her sisters didn't gave her _that_ much pride. It irked Hyejoo.

"Well?" she urged when her sister didn't elaborate, clearly enjoying the way she was teasing her sisters by holding back the information. "Who?"

"That barista at the cafe?" Hyunjin grinned all the wider. "I've been talkin' to her lately. You could even say we're _acquaintances._ "

But the way Hyunjin was saying it only made Hyejoo and Yerim laugh simultaneously—Hyejoo collapsing back onto Yerim as she struggled to maintain herself. 

"What?" The absurdity of it all only made Hyejoo laugh harder, Yerim only joining in with clapping hands as they both collapsed onto each other, trying hard to regain their breath. "What?" But it didn't seem to click for Hyunjin, only seeming confused and only making it all the more comical for Hyejoo and Yerim. "Man, fuck you guys. You won't be laughing when I know everything and you guys don't!"

Rubbing her sore cheeks, Hyejoo looked toward Hyunjin with her brow raised. "Hyun, c'mon." She lolled her head back, resting against Yerim who had to continue stifling her giggles. "What the fuck are you talking about? You want us to rob your barista crush?" she asked, lazily crossing her arms over her chest. 

"She's _not_ my crush!" Hyejoo scoffed, but Hyunjin continued relentlessly, "Besides, she's loaded!" 

"Loaded?" Yerim interjected, having gotten over her fit of giggles. "How could she be loaded if she's working at a cafe?"

And, if she were being honest, Hyejoo was wondering the same thing; the dots just didn't connect. 

Raising her hands up, Hyunjin gesticulated as she backtracked, "Let me rephrase: her parents are loaded."

"Her parents?" Hyejoo echoed, watching as Hyunjin nodded vigorously. "Okay, so what? Her parents are loaded, how do you know they don't live in some upstate apartment?"

"Well, they might, but—"

"Do you even know where they live?"

"Not yet, but—"

"Do you know what their security is like?

"No, but—"

"Then I guess you wouldn't know their routines either, right? Or if they have any dogs that could bark at us the moment we make too much noise. Or when they're out of the house and stuff, right, Hyun?"

She knew she was being a bit harsh towards Hyunjin, she immediately recognized the hardened look she expressed when she fell silent, but she needed her sister to see just how bizarre and outlandish this plan was without being the slightest bit prepared. Hyejoo felt as though this was too big of a jump for them so early on. Robbing a mansion might be too difficult of a job, especially without the crutch from Haseul, Sooyoung, and Jungeun. They relied on them too much for every other job. And without any of their help or info, Hyejoo felt like they would just end up in the slammer. 

But Hyunjin was ambitious, Hyejoo knew that, which was why she had to direct her back to the easier jobs; the jobs they can do without a hitch and the jobs where the money might not be much but just enough. 

"Hyunjin," Yerim spoke up, cutting the silence that had hung between all three of them after Hyejoo drilled questions at her. "I think Hyejoo's right." Hyunjin sighed, looking like a kicked puppy and making Hyejoo feel sympathetic toward her older sister. She understood that she was eager for something new and different and, potentially, dangerous and thrilling. " _But_ —" Hyejoo's head whipped around when Yerim didn't end her thought, noting the hint of a mischievous smile on her lips, "that doesn't mean we can't practice for it."

"Practice!"

"Practice?"

Hyejoo and Hyunjin spoke at the same time, except Hyunjin had sounded enthusiastic and excited while Hyejoo was confused and apprehensive. 

And whatever Yerim was thinking, Hyejoo didn't like it. She didn't like how the smile on her sister's face transitioned into a grin she knew all too well; the one where she felt like she knew something her sisters didn't. Hyejoo loathed the feeling of being left out of something.

"Yeah! We practice before we hit the mansion—or whatever it is Hyunjin's barista crush lives in, assuming it's top-notch and all that," Yerim explained, sounding much calmer and more collected than either of her sisters. 

"Wait a sec—" Hyejoo tried to butt in, but Hyunjin beat her to it. 

"Not my crush! But yeah! That's exactly what we should do!" Hyunjin just seemed to get louder and louder the more she was encouraged by Yerim. 

"Hold on—" Again, Hyejoo tried butting in, except it was Yerim jumping in instead. 

"And- and we can start off in one of those suburban neighborhoods, y' know? Low security and easy targets!" Yerim was sitting up, getting more eager and leaving Hyejoo to fend for herself as she hyped up Hyunjin even more. 

"Guys—"

"Exactly!" Hyejoo had to bite the urge to snap at her sisters, finding herself growing impatient and annoyed at being cast aside. "We won't even need the others' help! We'll just need to scope out a good enough place to rob and then we can go on from there." 

"And _then_ —after we hit up a couple of houses—then we can hit up a- a mansion, or whatever." 

Having had enough of being excluded from their extensive planning, Hyejoo got up from the couch and moved her way over to the small, messy kitchen on the other side of the room. She figured washing the small number of dirty dishes was miles better than being the sibling equivalent of a third wheel, but before she could even pick up the plate from the sink, Hyejoo heard knocking on the door that halted her movements. 

Taking the interruption in stride, Hyejoo easily abandoned her former task to go and open the door. Assuming it was the pizza being delivered, Hyejoo grabbed her wallet from where it was on the countertop and began pulling out some cash to pay, but when she opened the door she had to cast her gaze downward to make eye contact. 

"Oh." Hyejoo pocketed the money, slightly confused as to why Haseul's younger sister had arrived. "Hey, Yeojin."

"Hi," Yeojin greeted back earnestly, moving her sunglasses to rest on top of her head as she swung her backpack around to the front before unzipping the main pocket and digging through it. "You ever gonna get that doorbell fixed? I pressed it, like, five times before I knocked," she complained, only earning an amused smile from Hyejoo as she shook her head. 

"It's not really a top priority for us," she responded through a yawn. 

She heard Yeojin grumble something under her breath, eliciting an airy laugh from Hyejoo before she stood back up. "Anyways, this is for you," she held up the bag for Hyejoo to take. 

"Thanks," she mumbled skeptically, looking at the bag then to the girl in front of her. But the curiosity was too prevalent to hold back, so Hyejoo couldn't help but mention, "I thought we were gonna get the money tomorrow."

"Express delivery," Yeojin instantly replied, too busy zipping her backpack up to look up at Hyejoo. "Vivi was eager to get the stuff you guys got, so Haseul was able to make the transaction pretty quick. Oh, speaking of Haseul—" When Yeojin finished zipping up her backpack, she swung it back over her shoulders and pointed up at Hyejoo who merely raised an eyebrow down at her. "She said she wants you guys to stop spendin' the money on stupid shit." 

But Hyejoo couldn't help but grin in amusement at the thought of Haseul saying something like that. Leaning against the doorframe, she asked, "Were those her exact words?"

Yeojin dropped her hand down, shrugging as she readjusted the straps. "I may or may not have improvised a bit, but she seriously wants you guys to stop wasting the money. It isn't much, anyway."

And Hyejoo could tell, the weight in the bag wasn't nearly as much as she wanted it to be, but she understood that everyone had to have their share—that included Sooyoung and Jungeun. And Hyejoo also knew that she and her sisters could be a little impulsive when they got their money, but they couldn't help it; they never really had the luxury of owning enough money to buy more than just necessities. The old, cheap Wii connected to their small TV was proof enough of their endeavors while shopping. 

"I'll see what we can do."

Yeojin didn't look convinced but only shrugged again, "It's your money, I'm only the messenger." She then pulled her sunglasses over her head—Hyejoo didn't really know why since it wasn't all that bright outside, but she didn't question it any further when Yeojin brought her hand up to wave at Hyejoo. "I'll see you guys around, tell Hyun and Yerim I said hi."

"Yeah, will do," Hyejoo mumbled, closing the door and leaning against it to look through the cash that was stacked neatly at the bottom of the bag.

Three stacks. All evenly distributed for her and her sisters. Probably adding up to a couple thousand dollars that would just barely get them by for the next month or two—if they held back on their impulsive spending, that is. 

It was better than nothing, but Hyejoo was getting tired of just skating by. 

She looked up at her sisters still excitedly conversing on the couch, completely oblivious to her absence and Yeojin's brief arrival, talking over each other loudly with every idea that came to mind. Hyejoo looked back down at the money solemnly. 

There were rare times when she thought about leaving; saving up enough money for her to move out and live on her own, beginning a new life without her sisters—after all, they weren't kids anymore, they were all able to look after themselves. But sometimes she wondered what it would be like finding a job for herself, earning money the traditional way, slaving herself away to work some minimum wage job that she'd probably hate, paying taxes with the money she's earned, coming home to an empty apartment, repeating the lonely cycle over and over again. 

But then she thought about it too much, all the hardships that would come from leaving it all behind and Hyejoo could never see herself doing it anymore. She couldn't imagine herself in that position—she couldn't imagine either one of her sisters in that position. 

What they had at that moment might not be perfect, but it was better than nothing and better than the image she conjured up in her head. 

Besides, she had fun with her sisters when they'd break into an establishment; terrorizing the poor patrons that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. She relished in the fear that would emanate from the people she intimidated just as much as Hyunjin and Yerim. She enjoyed their jobs Jungeun would assign them, she liked the array of firearms Sooyoung would supply them with, she _loved_ seeing the money being distributed to them from Haseul. She could never get that type of satisfaction from some lowlife job. How could she ever give that up?

So when she heard Yerim mention the idea of robbing a sports car from some rich snob, Hyejoo couldn't help but feel the anticipation for _when_ that day would come. It sparked back the ambition she felt in the office when they were sprouting out all the things they wanted to rob.

Tossing the paper bag onto the counter, Hyejoo made her way back toward her sisters—Hyunjin being the first to notice her—and sat herself down onto the coffee table in front of the couch. "So, Hyunjin," she started, tilting her head toward her older sister and finding herself pleased when she wasn't interrupted. "That little barista girl, you're friends with her, right?"

She watched as Hyunjin glanced toward Yerim, the latter shrugging, before she turned back to Hyejoo. "Yeah, kinda." 

The gears were turning and Hyejoo was beginning to settle herself into this new plan of theirs. "You haven't tried hanging out yet, have you?" She was met with a curt shake of her head, so she continued, "Try getting her more comfortable around you."

But Hyunjin only looked puzzled. "Why?"

It took everything in Hyejoo to not smack her sister upside the head, wasn't it obvious? She would've thought it was easy to connect the dots. Luckily, so Hyejoo didn't aggravate Hyunjin, Yerim seemed to get the gist, "So that she invites you over to her house to hang out!" 

"Exactly," Hyejoo smiled at Yerim, meeting her high-five with an exaggerated eye roll but appealing to her sister nonetheless. "You get her to trust you enough so that you're, y' know, buddies, or whatever, and then you get to be _inside_ the house. Like a little playdate. See? Like when Jungeun buddies up with all those people she finds, she learns all the stuff about the place and maps it all out for us." 

"Oh!" Hyunjin snapped her fingers, seemingly having understood now. "That way we know what to look for, right?" she asked Hyejoo excitedly, a grin appearing the more they thought the plan out. 

"Yeah, but don't make it so obvious, okay? Don't be askin' what kind of security system they have or- or, I dunno, where all their cameras are, all right?" She shouldn't have to be relaying this sort of stuff, but with Hyunjin, Hyejoo always had to make sure. 

But Hyunjin blew a raspberry, dismissively waving Hyejoo off in a way that slightly irked her. "Please, I'm not stupid." Hyejoo only gave her a look, but her efforts in trying to dissuade Hyunjin fell short because she only brushed her off, standing up to stretch her arms upward. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'll have it all under control," she drawled, sauntering over to the kitchen and pausing in front of the paper bag before pointing down at it. "What's this?" she asked, turning her body to face Hyejoo and Yerim. 

"Yeojin came by," Hyejoo responded, gravitating toward the couch again and falling back onto it. "She says hi."

"Yeojin?" Yerim asked, to which Hyejoo responded with a hum.

"She brought the money from this morning," Hyejoo explained. 

"This morning?" Yerim piped up again, her voice rising an octave from her confusion. "I thought Haseul said—"

"Yeah, I thought so too. But apparently she was able to get the money today. It doesn't matter." Hyejoo summed it up quickly, finding the details not very important as she watched Hyunjin dig through the bag. "It's not a lot, but we can make do with it," she added, earning a distracted hum from Hyunjin before her sister abruptly snapped her head towards the door, immediately dropping the bag back onto the counter before she surged towards it. 

Upon opening the door quickly, Hyejoo could just barely make out the way the pizza delivery boy had his fist up, frozen in mid-air, and ready to begin knocking. But now he only stared bewilderingly at Hyunjin who simply took the pizza box out of his grasp, slapped some bills into his now empty hand, and shut the door in his face unceremoniously. 

Yerim, who had been watching the exchange as well, only laughed and clapped her hands in that way whenever she found something amusing. Hyejoo just couldn't understand how _every time_ someone came up the steps to their apartment—whenever they expected someone, that is—Hyunjin knew exactly when they were outside their door and she would always catch them off guard. 

Making her way back to the living room, Hyunjin set down the pizza box on the coffee table—all three of them immediately coming up to open it up and pick a slice of their choosing before all settling back down onto the couch. With Hyejoo being in the middle sandwiched between her sisters. 

"Are you ever going to stop surprising people whenever they come up here?" Hyejoo asked gruffly through a mouthful of pizza. 

But Hyunjin only scoffed, her brows furrowing as she shook her head. "They shouldn't even be surprised when they're that loud going up the stairs," she spoke gruffly through a mouthful of food as well. 

"I dunno how you always hear them," Yerim said after eating her fill—unlike her sisters. She giggled and took another bite from her slice, "It's really funny, though."

"Yeah, well," Hyunjin cleared her throat, dusting her hands off of any crumbs before reaching for another slice. "He mashed the doorbell, like, three times. It wasn't too hard to hear." Hyejoo shook her head in disbelief, she just didn't understand how Hyunjin did it because even she didn't hear Yeojin when she came up _nor_ did she hear Yeojin trying to ring the doorbell. "Which we should probably fix, now that I think about it," Hyunjin mumbled. 

Hyejoo chuckled at the suggestion, thinking back on how Yeojin complained about it, too. "Later," she grunted, finding it too bothersome to even consider the doorbell a priority. 

At the moment, Hyejoo was content to simply eat her pizza, lounging back on their couch, with the silence enveloping them as they let the evening roll by.

* * *

surprise 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i aint dead yall just very lazy


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